STM's..the one splurge you would recommend

SashaDenn25 · June 2015

Ive said things about, others have as well, things are financially just a little snug for my little family. We were hoping to wait a year before having a baby to save for the deductible to doctor etc. without wiping out savings, get a car paid off before daycare came...just little things to make us more comfortable. Weve got the essentials, somewhere for baby to sleep, clothes, budget for diapers and really hoping BF'ing works out to help save some for a while. So...without further a do...STM's whats the one splurge that was worth it to just make your life so much easier?? Im just curious in all honesty and at home bored.

Saratiff · June 2015

Im a FTM but I am so following this

SashaDenn25 · June 2015

I thought this would be a great one for all the FTM's!!! I dont need to be thinking I should splurge on stupid things when we have other priorities to get in line before this baby gets older and starts costing some real bucks! Lol

bpwife&mama · June 2015

Rock n play! My first slept in it wonderfully for 3 months and he would sit it peacefully while we ate, while I showered etc. Best baby invention ever!

kettlekitten · June 2015

I don't think there was any 'splurge' for me. Having my parents nearby was the real lifesaver.

thesportsgal · June 2015

Think about places to set them - whether in the family room, bathroom, etc. We had a swing in the family room that she loved and I had a snugabunny in our bathroom that she loved too. Plus she would nap in both!

SashaDenn25 · June 2015

kettlekitten said:
I don't think there was any 'splurge' for me. Having my parents nearby was the real lifesaver.

DH's parents are about 30 mins away, but my mom and aunt are each 10 and 5mins away...im so glad already!

hclzmm14 · June 2015

I agree with the swing and a bouncer, but have to say a baby carrier to wear baby is also super helpful. It's soothing to newborns to be close, so you can just wear them around the house if you want to clean up or cook, and it's super helpful for grocery shopping since you should never keep baby in the carseat and put that on the cart. You can get by with a sling carrier at first.

heath3er · June 2015

We have an 8yr old and were wanting to wait a yer because we just moved out of state.

Well God had different plans

The must haves if your on a budget go thrifting or yard sales.

I would recommend a swing, a rock n play, a Boppy pillow, a rocking chair(start with craigslist)

Sheets, at least 3 or 4

Yard sales early in the am have been my savings this time around.

ann_jeremiah · June 2015

cllgarrison said:
I agree with the swing and a bouncer, but have to say a baby carrier to wear baby is also super helpful. It's soothing to newborns to be close, so you can just wear them around the house if you want to clean up or cook, and it's super helpful for grocery shopping since you should never keep baby in the carseat and put that on the cart. You can get by with a sling carrier at first.

This!! Basic RNP aren't terribly expensive... Otherwise I'd say that. Invest in a good baby carrier.. Better than baby bjorn. Something that offers support to your shoulders and back, because babies of any size can start to feel heavy after awhile and cause poor posture!

kristendot2007 · June 2015

Stm, would a nice nursing gown/robe combo be worth the splurge to you? They have some really pretty ones at motherhood maternity but of course they are around $50. Would you spend the $$ or find a cheaper alternative?

emmacake08 · June 2015

I guess splurges have a range. We didn't splurge on cribs (two $100 ikea cribs) or diapers (we cloth diaper) or clothes (we get second hand clothes) but when we needed a bigger car, we splurged on a new Honda Odyssey that I love even though I always thought I'd hate having a van. We splurged on a deep freezer and a really nice rocker too. Everything else we've gone the cheap route. I always ask myself if a product is necessary or an invention of the baby industrial complex...

aveline8 · June 2015

Ergo baby carrier or similar

something really comfy for you to wear and ergonomic for baby. I used that thing SO much in the first 6 months, around the house, for walks, etc.

cosplaymom · June 2015

AngelCare monitor. Not only do you get sound so you can hear when they cry but if the baby stops breathing an alarm sounds. It gave us the peace of mind we needed to put her in a crib in another room, and we are still using it with sound only almost 2 years later.

RnP, swing and carriers were used very rarely for us. We had a reclined bouncer that was fine when she was a baby. She did not like a swing. Withany of those buy used or borrow.

Miz_Liz · June 2015

Our glider/ottoman, which are amazing still at almost 3 years old (we use it every night for story time) and a smaller splurge would be the sleep sheep...the to-go version that we could put on his carseat....that thing was a LIFE SAVER!!!

ammc07 · June 2015

For us it was her bouncer chair. We had a gracco where the bouncer mounted into the swing so it was kind of all in one. we used that bouncer way after we retired the swing. It even saved me during shower time because I would bring her in her bouncer into the bathroom while I took a shower but I would leave the curtain cracked so I could still see her. The sound of the water soothed her colic a bit so it was kind of nice.

lvrunningirlie · June 2015

The swing (which this time around I got at a Baby consignment event for cheap... Look into those if they have them in your area). We have one of the fisher price ones (suggest getting one that plugs in) that has multiple rotation and speed settings. Nice to set the baby in for showers, laundry, dishes etc. Also the glider, we still use it with our three year old.

SashaDenn25 · June 2015

So im kind of excited many are saying swing. We have a sale in my area in which you have to sell items in or work shifts in to be able to shop. I worked my first one around 20 weeks and got a motorized swing for $10!!!! I repeat at $100 item for $10...it needed some serious cleaning so it was much less than the others at the sale going for $40-$50...possibly my proudest bargain moment ever! Lol

emschmeid · June 2015

Our son loved being swaddled in the Halo sleep sacks. A previous poster mentioned the sleep sheep. We had a similar item, a giraffe made by Cloud b, from Target. We forgot it on a road trip and found buying a second was very helpful!

hclzmm14 · June 2015

emschmeid said:
Our son loved being swaddled in the Halo sleep sacks. A previous poster mentioned the sleep sheep. We had a similar item, a giraffe made by Cloud b, from Target. We forgot it on a road trip and found buying a second was very helpful!

Loved sleep sacks too! You can get some at TJ Maxx or Homegoods for like $10 each or less, by Halo or Aden & Anais. We didn't use these until after we were done swaddling when DD could roll over, but baby needs a blanket and obviously they can't sleep with loose ones.

Stephaniemariebuck · June 2015

My splurge was hiring a cleaning service to come out the first 3 months I was home with my first. It was amazing, I focused on spending time with my baby girl and I didn't worry about scrubbing bathrooms or dusting (especially with all the visitors we had)

MissusTexas · June 2015

A video monitor! Hands down the best splurge- DD is 2.5 and still love it... Maybe more now that she's older! A Snuza hero would also be a good one!

PixelPosy · June 2015

An unnecessary item that we used the heck out of would be the Tommee Tippee sterilizer. A lot of baby products recommend you boil before first use to sterilize and there is no need to do it again, but we used the heck out of our sterilizer machine because it was so simple to use. RSP was really bad the year DD was born, so it gave me peace of mind to sterilize my pump parts and all the bottles and pacifiers that came home from daycare each and every day. We really used the heck out of it.

I think the Aden and Anais blankets are worth it, they are a nice weight and size. My favorite is the b-jeweled set of 4. I didn't swaddle much with them, but used them as a car seat cover, stroller blanket, nursing cover and rolled up in the diaper bag in case I wanted to cover a surface before setting her down.

CaliforniaDream87 · June 2015

The Aden and Anais swaddles. Seriously, saved our lives. My son would break out of every swaddle blanket so these really helped him get some sleep.

The swing was an absolute waste of money. We are going with the mommaroo this go around.

cosplaymom · June 2015

I am going to have to second a couple of things

Aden and Anais swaddle blankets - we had 8 and that was perfect, we used them all the time and my daughter is STILL using them as blankets. We bought a third pack so we have more for our second kid. You can get them for $19.99 at Marshalls/Home Goods!

A glider/rocker - this was my biggest splurge, I spent $800 at West Elm for the chair of my dreams, then spent another $10 on fabric to make a washable slip cover to match the nursery decor which turned out adorable! The chair is great, it still looks brand new and it will look good in the living room after the kids grow up. My husband wishes it reclined but I like it the way it is. I did not buy the matching ottoman, I got a bean ottoman from Target for cheap instead.

bj1987 · June 2015

The swing and a vibrating rocker was a lifesaver for me. I was a single mom and he really enjoyed his naps in the swing and the vibrating rocker (easily moved) was great for my baths I could keep him in view while getting a 20 min soak in some Epsom salt

rashelburne · June 2015

Looking back, then things I would have "splurged" on I borrowed or received as hand me downs, which was a huge help considering at initially didn't plan on purchasing them because they weren't absolute necessities (aka food, clothes, or a place to sleep). We lived in a small apt so we didn't buy a swing but had one of those vibrating bouncy chairs. My son didn't like it vibrating but we used that chair for everything (setting him down to nap, do dishes, shower, etc). My son was so used to it that when we visited my brother he wouldn't use their baby swing.

As a nursing mom the nursing pillow was my best friend, but if you don want to splurge on it a regular pillow worked fine when I was at a friends house.

An infant carrier I would definitely recommend. We used it ALL the time, even to clean the house (except when chemicals were involved of course!)

I really felt like I didn't need much. While all these registry places list tons of "necessities" I really took the time to consider what a true necessity was. We were on a tight budget!

I guess our one big splurge was not buying a stroller/car seat combo. We registered for them seperately because we really wanted the jeep stroller. It was perfect for trail walking where there were roots and rocks along the way.

If I could pick one splurge item this time around (and had room for it) I would get a glider/ottoman. A regular rocking chair (at least ours) is REALLY uncomfortable for nursing so I used our couch.

Starynightsky24 · June 2015

I second the A&A blankets and the baby carrier.

The only way I could take the dogs out, clean, or grocery shop was with the ergo. Worth every penny.

bhargrave88 · June 2015

An Ergo carrier!! I bought multiple cheap carriers that sucked before I found the ergo. Either ergo or lillebaby! Well worth the money... Even with the price tag. My DD is going to be 3 in October and she was 7 months when I got my first Ergo. It's still working great and in excellent shape!

my sanity was saved due to that carrier..

lilhoek · June 2015

Mine would be my Moby wrap. I bought it for my first and used it a TON for my second and plan on using it again this time. $60 well spent when a baby is fussy in the stroller and just wants to be held. I used it until my kids were about a year old.

Wering · June 2015

Definitely splurge on a baby wearing product. We got the Bjorn because it was cheaper and ended up hating it (hurt us to carry, she didn't seem comfortable, etc). I finally got a Boba and ended up carrying my DD until she was 16 months old. She grew out of it before it lost its function for us. It was great for the "clingy" nights when I still had to vacuum or cook dinner. It was great for outings like the zoo or the mall - in fact, she probably only used her stroller 10 times in her first year. We went on a cruise when she was 14 months and didn't even take the stroller. We carried her everywhere.

jesselayne8 · June 2015

I have to agree with @Miz_Liz and say a glider/rocking chair. Mine has been used everyday for 3.5yrs. Kids still like to be rocked a long time after they out grow swings and bouncy seats. I am thinking of getting a 2nd one because DS isn't ready to give up his "rock rock".

jentatu · June 2015

I love our video monitor it is summer infant brand. DD is 2 and we still use it. Also a bouncer was a lifesaver!

cseley321 · June 2015

This is a great thread. I made some updates to my baby wish list based on it last night. I had no idea they even made a baby breathing/movement monitor!!

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